


All Things Considered

by amsves



Category: Log Horizon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkwardness, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Marriage of Convenience, Wedding Planning, listen guys they're in LOVE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21654205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Before Shiroe leaves on his quest for the Kunie's gold, he goes to Regan for advice. Specifically, he wants a way to communicate discretely with a member of his guild back home. Regan's solution isn't ...exactlywhat Shiroe had in mind, but hey. If it works, it works, right?[Updates Infrequently]
Relationships: Akatsuki/Shiroe (Log Horizon)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> IDK man I just really ship Akatsuki and Shiroe

The Ancient Palace of Eternal Ice was about a two-hour journey on horseback from Akiba. That being said, it was a much shorter trip on griffinback. Shiroe and Akatsuki landed at the Palace, and Regan ushered them inside to the library. “Come in, come in. Tell me about this query of yours.”

Shiroe cleared his throat. “Well, it’s this. This is top-secret information, but I’m about to leave town. I expect I’ll be gone for a while.”   


“And just where might you be going?” Regan asked.

Shiroe shook his head. “That’s another secret, for the moment. But the point is, I’m looking for a way to communicate discreetly with my guild back home.”

“More discreet than simply calling them?”

“Yes. I don’t want it to be obvious to outsiders that I’m still in contact with my guild. It could put them in danger.” Shiroe pushed his glasses up his nose. “This is dangerous business, Regan. There’s a Minami spy in Akiba. Do you have any ideas that might be of help?”

Regan clapped his hands together. “Of course, of course. Actually, I’m a little surprised you didn’t think of this one yourself, Shiroe. It’s easy, really: you and a member of your guild who is staying in Akiba should get married.”

Shiroe jumped and Akatsuki, who had been silent up until that point, made a strangled sound. “M-married?” 

Regan nodded, apparently unfazed by their reactions. Shiroe took a deep breath. “Okay, why do you say that? What about me, uh, getting married helps me in this case?”

“Well, I’m not an Adventurer, so I’m afraid I cannot confirm this personally,” Regan explained, “But according to magical theory, a pair of married Adventurers can access each other’s inventory. If you needed to tell someone in your guild something, you could write it down and place it in your magic bag, and the other party could retrieve it from theirs. It’s a handy system.” He rubbed his hands together in what Shiroe presumed was excitement. “I’ve witnessed many Lander marriages, but never an Adventurer marriage. This will be an exciting time for all three of us.”

“All three?” Akatsuki asked timidly, finding her voice again.

“Me, Shiroe, and you,” Regan replied. “I suppose Shiroe could marry anyone from Log Horizon, but since you’re here and you know about the plan, it would be most prudent for him to choose you.”

Two pairs of eyes fixed themselves on Shiroe. He cleared his throat. “Well, it’s an idea,” he said weakly. “I think it might work. Akatsuki, would you be okay with--” A blush overtook his whole face, and he could feel his throat closing up. He turned away. “Would you be okay with marrying me?”

“If you say it’s a good idea, my Lord,” she replied, voice quivering, “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Well, that settles it.” Regan must have been immune to the awkwardness possessing both the Adventurers in his presence, or else he would never have been able to carry on like everything was normal. “All you’ll need is two rings, one for each of you. And yourselves, of course.”

“Any kind of ring?” Shiroe had yet to turn back to face Regan and his now-fianceé. “Does the material matter, or the artisan, or the price?”

“Not at all. Just two rings. As long as you can wear them on your finger, they will work perfectly.” Regan wandered to the nearest bookshelf and started scanning the spines. “I’ll see you back here tomorrow? I’ll do some research on Adventurer marriage in the meantime and see if it has any other ‘side effects’, if you will.” 

“Yep. That’s great. Tomorrow.” Shiroe turned to leave, and Akatsuki followed behind. 

The griffin ride home was only a half-hour, but it was the longest half-hour of Shiroe’s life. Neither of them spoke. It was a relief when Shiroe dropped Akatsuki off at the guild before heading into town. 

He needed to be careful. If he got noticed making his purchase, and then Log Horizon seemed to have intelligence they shouldn’t have, people would likely put two and two together and come to the right conclusion. For this mission, he would have to be undercover. Well, maybe not  _ undercover _ . But low profile. No more Shiroe the Demon in Glasses. He was simply a normal, nobody Adventurer, doing some shopping.

It might have been more wise to send Akatsuki, but Shiroe felt that this was something he had to do himself. He unequipped his signature white cloak in order to blend in with the shadows a bit more and stand out a bit less. Dusk was falling as he made his way to a particular vendor in Akiba, one he knew sold various kinds of jewelry and accessories. He nodded to the owner of the jewelry stand and began to scan their selection.

_ What kind of ring would Akatsuki like? _ Shiroe pondered this question as he considered rings in all shapes, cuts, and styles. She was a practical girl who took her job very seriously, he knew. A sparkly, flashy, attention-grabbing ring wouldn’t suit a ninja. He should probably choose a simpler one, with no raised gemstones. That left him with a half-dozen options, but really there was only one he could possibly choose: a plain, slim band cut from obsidian. In the light, it glimmered only slightly, and its sheen was nearly purple. 

Shiroe paid for the ring and went to another vendor for his own ring. If he bought two in one place, people would definitely make the obvious connection, but a single ring could easily be a fashion accessory without romantic connotations. He hoped. He selected a plain silver band for himself and paid for it as well, and then picked up some meat buns on his way back to the guild. 

It was a good thing he had; Minori was in the front room when he opened the door. “Master Shiroe!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you went back out. Where did you go?”

He tossed her a meat bun. “I got snacks. And I needed a walk to clear my head. There’s a lot in it right now.”

She giggled. “I’m sure there always is.” 

He dropped the rest of the buns in the kitchen before heading up to his office to do some of the last paperwork he would do for months. For once, Akatsuki didn’t scold him about working so late at night. She was probably making herself scarce out of embarrassment. 

The second that thought entered his head, Shiroe groaned out loud.  _ Why did Regan have to make things so awkward? There had to be another way to get what I want besides proposing to Akatsuki! She was clearly as uncomfortable as I was, too, or maybe more. I hope she won’t hate me after this is over.  _

Shiroe must have fallen asleep pursuing that train of thought, because the next thing he knew, sunlight was streaming through his windows, and there was an awful crick in his neck.

He sat up and stretched, and checked to make sure his purchases from the previous night were still in his bag. They were, which was reassuring, but also filled him with a fresh emotional cocktail of worry and guilt. The worry was easy to explain away; what if the plan failed, what if it wasn’t good enough, what if people got hurt, and other questions of that variety. The guilt was harder to comprehend, and of mixed origins. Obviously he felt bad for making Akatsuki uncomfortable, but there was more to it. Akatsuki was a wonderful girl, one anybody would be lucky to spend their life together with. It didn’t feel right to marry her like this, without romance or ceremony, even if it was just for practical purposes. 

An even smaller part of him felt guilty for not being entirely unhappy with the proceedings; he ignored that part. It didn’t make any sense.

Rings secured, Shiroe made his way down to the kitchen for breakfast. Akatsuki was there already, enjoying one of the meat buns he had purchased the night before. They locked eyes for a second before each turning away. The awkwardness was still there, the reality of their situation still looming. 

Honestly, it shouldn’t have been awkward at all. They both understood the gravity of Akiba’s current state and the benefits of the plan, so getting married for information and espionage purposes should have been easy. Had circumstances aligned differently, Shiroe was fairly certain he could have chosen Naotsugu or Nyanta and things would have been fine between them. He wouldn’t have married one of the younger members of Log Horizon--it would look pretty bad if the general public ever found out, true intentions aside--but it probably would have been fine too. It was because he was marrying  _ Akatsuki _ that things were so difficult, when in reality she should have made it so easy. 

Shiroe sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and grabbed a meat bun. “Ready?” he asked Akatsuki, turning back to look at her. 

She finished her bun and nodded. “As I’ll ever be, my Lord. Are you?”

He smiled. “As I’ll ever be. Shall we, then?”

They left the guild and flew back to Regan, who greeted them eagerly. “Hello, hello, welcome back,” he said in his particular, eager way as they re-entered the library. “I’ve done some reading on the subject of Adventurer marriage, and there’s another perk I think you two might enjoy. But before we get into that, did you bring what we need?”   


Shiroe nodded and retrieved the rings from his bag. “I hope these will suffice.” 

Akatsuki said nothing, but Shiroe saw her eyes widen in awe. Regan leaned in to examine them. “Yes, these will do just fine,” he said decisively, and Shiroe felt a tiny weight leave his chest. That hadn’t been a huge worry of his, but it was certainly one of them, and it was nice to let it go. 

“Now, let me explain to you how this will work,” Regan continued. “Shiroe, please hand Akatsuki the ring you’re going to wear, and keep the one she will wear for now.” He did so, handing over the silver ring. Were her hands shaking, or were his own? He couldn’t tell. “One at a time, you will put the ring you hold on the other’s ring finger, and say the words ‘with this ring, I thee wed’. Once you both have done so, Adventurers historically have had some sort of magical dialogue box that asks you to confirm that you do in fact want to get married. You will both confirm, and then, if my research is complete, it will be done. Now, these tomes were all written before the Apocalypse, so we should be prepared for discrepancies.”

That wasn’t reassuring, but they had come too far to stop now out of fear that something might not go exactly to plan. Shiroe and Akatsuki exchanged a glance, and Shiroe smiled. “Sounds good to me. I’ll go first?”

Akatsuki nodded. Shiroe closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. He exhaled slowly, and then opened his eyes and took Akatsuki’s left hand in his right. “Akatsuki,” he said slowly, “With this ring, I thee wed.” With his left hand he slipped the obsidian band onto her ring finger, though it took all his concentration not to drop it. When it was done, he smiled weakly, and released her hand.

Akatsuki mirrored his actions, taking his left hand and sliding the silver ring onto his ring finger. Her voice was thin and trembling as she spoke the words, “With this ring, I thee wed.” 

A dialogue box, like one that might show an Adventurer’s status or display a friend request, appeared between them after Akatsuki let go of Shiroe’s hand. It asked a simple question:  _ Do you wish to proceed?  _ Below it were two choices:  _ Yes  _ and  _ No _ . 

There was no choice to be made. Shiroe and Akatsuki reached out together and tapped  _ Yes _ .

At once, things changed. From nowhere came a breeze strong enough to flip pages and ruffle hair. Glowing tendrils of sparkling yellow light were emitted from their rings, lighting the dark library. Shiroe felt like he was being filled with air, like he had shed all his burdens and could just fly away. A glance at the floor confirmed that he and Akatsuki were both still firmly grounded, but that did nothing to dispel the feeling.

The spectacle, breathtaking as it was, lasted only a second or two. Then things returned to normal, save for a small change: in the upper left corner of Shiroe’s vision was a small icon of Akatsuki, with a green filter over it. Dazed, the newlyweds took a step back from each other, and Shiroe’s mind went into overdrive trying to process the last minute or so. 

“Uh, Regan, why is Akatsuki’s face in the corner of my vision?” he asked after a moment of taking stock.

Regan clapped his hands together, a pleased expression on his face. “That’s the other perk of marrying an Adventurer. I forgot to tell you earlier, but you can tell whether your spouse is at a high, middle, or low HP level. Her face looks green, right? That’s because Akatsuki’s HP is full currently. Just a nifty little bonus!”

“Any other bonuses?” Shiroe’s brain was still playing catch-up. They had exchanged rings. They had confirmed that they did really want to get married. There had been an incredible moment with a cool lightshow and a mysterious breeze. The plan had worked. They were married. He had a wife now.

Oh, wow. He had a  _ wife _ . That was going to take some getting used to. 

_ No, it won’t _ , he chided himself mentally.  _ Nothing has changed, really. This is just for the benefit of Log Horizon. It’s for business purposes only.  _

“I didn’t find any more in my notes,” Regan responded, snapping Shiroe out of his own head. “But please, tell me everything. Do you feel any different now?”

“A little,” he admitted. “A little more … buoyant. Lighthearted, maybe. But I think that’s just because I was worried this wouldn’t work, and that we’d have to start from square one.”

Regan grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment off a nearby table and jotted that down. “Interesting, interesting,” he mumbled to himself. “Akatsuki?”

Akatsuki, who had been quiet all this time, jumped slightly at her name being called. “Uh, I really don’t feel any different,” she said quickly. “But I have a question.” She twisted the ring on her finger as she continued, “Can we take the rings off? Is everything still valid if we’re not wearing them?”

“Now that’s a good question,” Regan responded. “Why don’t you two take them off and we’ll find out?”

Akatsuki yanked her ring off so quickly it looked like it might have been burning her the whole time. Shiroe removed his more slowly, wondering why all of a sudden there was a pain in his chest that hadn’t been there before. With the ring off, he could still see Akatsuki in the corner of his vision. “I think we’re still fine,” he reported, and Regan scribbled something else down. “Good idea, Akatsuki. For stealth purposes, we probably shouldn’t wear them. It’s pretty obvious what they mean, after all.”

She nodded, and placed her ring in her magic bag. Shiroe opened his bag to store his own ring, and saw hers inside his bag as well. “The inventory-sharing works, too,” he added. “Perfect. Thank you, Regan, and you too, Akatsuki. I guess we’ll be on our way.” He paused. “Regan, do you know how to ride a griffin?”

Regan, apparently, did know how to ride a griffin, and the three of them returned to Log Horizon. Shiroe explained as much as he could to the rest of his guild and then went up to his office to put some last-minute things in order. 

Akatsuki followed him, much to his relief. She closed the door behind them and then asked, quietly, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“First of all, I’d like to apologize again for getting you all wrapped up in this,” Shiroe started, and Akatsuki shook her head.

“Don’t apologize, my Lord. You asked if I would be willing, and I was.”

“But you seem uncomfortable,” he pressed.

She turned her head aside, a light blush decorating her cheeks. “It’ll take some getting used to,” she conceded. “But that’s all. I want to help you, my Lord. You’ll be gone for who knows how long, in a place you can’t reveal, for a goal you can’t diverge. That’s frightening. That’s serious. This isn’t how I had imagined we handle the situation, but I can do it.”

He wasn’t entirely convinced that was the whole reason, but Shiroe decided to let it go. “Okay. What I really wanted to discuss is our communication schedule. Do you think you can manage a weekly report?”

“Manage,” she scoffed, a small smile on her lips. “My Lord, you insult me.”

“Just checking,” he responded lightly. “Guarding the Princess is an important and consuming job. If you wanted to check in less frequently, I would understand. I’m not sure I can give you the same regularity, though. There will be lots of things I can’t say, and it might be hard for me to find the time and privacy to write down the things I can.”

“I understand.” She crossed the room swiftly and then they were standing nearly toe-to-toe. Shiroe looked down at a girl that was staring at him with such overwhelming trust in her eyes that he felt unworthy for a second. “Please don’t worry about us. Log Horizon will be fine. But please just don’t forget about us, either.”

Shiroe let out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding. He smiled. “How could I ever do that?”

“Just checking,” she said, mimicking him from earlier. “Now, if you don’t have anything left to take care of, we should go back downstairs. I think Regan and Naotsugu are ready to get going.”

“You’re probably right.” Shiroe turned his gaze towards the ceiling of his office, raising his hands above his head and stretching his spine. “Man, I am not looking forward to this. I promise to give it my all, so that I can be home as soon as possible.”

Akatsuki didn’t say anything as they walked back downstairs, but Shiroe knew she was the happiest she had been since he first broke the news to her that he was going away. Truth be told, he was, too. 

The guild said their tearful goodbyes, and then the trio mounted their griffins. Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Regan were officially on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I haven't actually _watched_ Log Horizon in a moment so if there are discrepancies besides the obvious just consider them part of the AU. Borrowing some game mechanics and other things from sources like SAO but some of this is pure amsves-brain babey
> 
> No idea when the next part will be up because I have at least three other fics I need to write/update before the new year but stay with me. It'll happen eventually. Definitely before Season 3 ahaha ouch I hurt myself.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiroe had informed Akatsuki before he left that he probably wouldn’t be checking in with any sort of regularity. That proved to be true: his first two notes were placed in his inventory within 24 hours. 

_Made it to our rendezvous_.

_Didn’t work out. Time for phase 2._

He knew they were cryptic and probably made her worry more than silence would have, but if he didn’t use their new correspondence method then what was the point of putting her through that marriage hassle at all? 

Besides, once they were safely to the Depths of Palm, he could afford to start being a little more descriptive. This was all temporary. Probably.

His next report came a few days later, when he secured the help of William and the other members of Silver Sword. 

_I’ve secured all the necessary personnel. Wish us luck_.

Akatsuki’s first weekly report came in that night. 

_Nothing out of the ordinary has happened so far, my Lord. As far as I can tell, our enemy has made no movements to hurt the princess. I will continue to carry out my mission, and will report to you if any changes occur._ _Luck._

Shiroe smiled as he read that last word. “Well, I did ask.”

“Did you say something, Shiroe?” William asked from behind him.

Shiroe stashed Akatsuki’s report in his bag. “No, nothing. Are we ready to get going?”

* * *

_Still no attacks on the princess. We’re getting ready for the holidays of Christmas and Snowfell. I’m doing some preliminary research on Overskills._ _Do you have any idea when you’ll be back in Akihabara, my Lord?_

_I think you know this already, but we’re on a raid. Killed the first two bosses, but not without a lot of deaths. Burning through supplies a little too fast, but we’ll manage._ _We will be victorious. Hopefully soon._

_No change on the mission status. I’ve been observing D.D.D.’s assassins as part of my research into Overskills. I would like to obtain one of my own. How goes the raid?_

_I’m about to call Nyanta and tell him this, but I thought I would tell you first. I won’t be home for Christmas, unfortunately._ _Also, it has come to my attention that I may have been overly cautious, when I started this whole thing between us in order to not have to use the telechat function. Naotsugu and Marielle have been talking most days, and evidently nothing bad has happened yet as a result. I’m sorry for getting you all tangled up in this, but it’s kinda handy, right?_

_There’s a real problem in the city, my Lord. There’s a serial killer on the loose. He hasn’t come after the princess, and I don’t know if he ever will, but he’s killed over ten adventurers. The Round Table has been discussing an evacuation, either total or of low-level players. The West Wind Brigade has taken it upon themselves to hunt down the killer._ _Your repeated absences from Round Table meetings have been noticed, but Marielle has been covering for you._ _I’m going to protect Princess Rayneshia. I promise. I will do everything in my power and more to help her._ _I don’t mind our extra-secure method of communication. I hate to say this, but I think Naotsugu and Marielle are being a bit foolish. If there really are spies in our city, they should be more careful._

_I died._

_I did as well._

_I guess that explains why I saw your icon turn red right as I died. Regan was right, that’s a nifty bonus._ _Anyways, I’m going to learn from my mistakes. I’m going to trust people more. I’m going to tell them the truth of why we’re on this raid in the first place. They deserve honesty from me._ _I saw you when I died. On the moon._

_I’m going to stop the killer, but I can’t do it alone. I’ve been trying to do it on my own. I guess I was trying to prove myself. That was foolish of me. I compromised the mission for my selfish desires. It won’t happen again._ _I saw you too, my Lord. Merry Christmas._

_Let’s both do our best, shall we?_

_That sounds like an excellent idea, my Lord_.

* * *

They had done it. They had _finally_ done it. The raid was over. Shiroe was beside himself with excitement. 

But instead of celebrating with the rest of the raid party, he slinked away to a quieter part of the cavern, sat down on the ground, and started to what he hoped would be one of his final reports to Akatsuki. 

_The raid is over. I’ve purchased every zone in Yamato and returned them all to the server. I hope this will be the solution we’ve been looking for._ _It was a long raid, and the hardest I’ve been on in a long, long time. I’m ready to come back home. Thank you for protecting Akiba. Without your help, there wouldn’t be a home for me to come back to._

Shiroe was scanning his report for mistakes when suddenly Naotsugu’s hand was on Shiroe’s shoulder. “What’re you doing by yourself over here, bud?”

“Um, well--”

A moment of distraction was all it took. Tetora, who had previously been hiding behind Naotsugu’s back, darted forward and snatched the report out of Shiroe’s hands. “Whatcha got there, Shiroe?”

_Ugh. Can they not do this right now?_ “Please give that back, Tetora. It’s important.”

Tetora wasn’t tall, but she was nimble, and even though Shiroe had quite a few centimeters on her she was able to keep the report just out of his reach. “What’s this thing that’s so important, hmm? Is it a love letter?” 

That was preposterous, of course, but Shiroe couldn’t help but blush anyways, which didn’t help his case. “No, it isn’t.”

“Shiroe, bro, you’re totally red in the face! Tetora’s on to something, huh?”

“So? Who’s the lucky lady?”

“I bet it’s Akatsuki. Come on, you’ve totally had a thing for her ever since the Catastrophe.”

This was getting out of hand. “It is _not_ a love letter,” he stated firmly, finally recovering the report from Tetora with a swipe that was more aggressive than strictly necessary. “It is a report on the conclusion of our battle.”

“Uh-huh,” Naotsugu replied, clearly unconvinced. “And who’s that for?”

Well, they had been right about one thing. “Akatsuki.”

“And how is Akatsuki going to receive this report of hers?” Tetora asked, smirking coyly. “Are you going to deliver it in person? Maybe alongside some flowers and chocolate? Kiss her hand when you deliver it?”

“No!”

“Then how?”

The jig was totally up. Naotsugu and Tetora were on to something, and they knew it. Shiroe mentally resigned himself to telling them everything. It wasn’t like he could have hidden it forever, anyways; it was a wonder they’d kept it a secret as long as they did. “We have access to each other’s inventories,” he said at last. “I put the document in my magic bag, and she can pull it out back in Akiba any time.”

Both his attackers looked impressed by that. “That’s a pretty handy ability. How’d you manage that, Great Archmage Shiroe?”

Shiroe sighed, and ran a hand through his already-messy hair. He met two pairs of inquisitive eyes, and sighed again. “... we got married.”

Naotsugu’s jaw just about hit the floor of the cavern. Tetora, who had been clinging to his shoulder, _did_ hit the floor. “WHAT?”

“Well it’s better than using the telechat function everyday!” Shiroe added defensively, trying to justify himself even though he knew it was pointless. “Unlike you and Marielle, Naotsugu, I value stealth when there’s a literal spy in our city!”

“Yeah I _bet_ you value stealth,” Naotsugu returned with a smile, “She’s a ninja, after all. But I was right about it being her! You two are so obvious. I’m surprised I didn’t figure it out sooner, really.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” he protested. “We are not ‘so obvious’. There’s nothing romantic between us or anything. We got married right before the raid because Regan said this was a good, discrete method of communication. We don’t even wear our rings or anything.”

“So you have rings?” Tetora exclaimed, back on her feet. “Can I see?”

Shiroe sighed _again_ and equipped his ring, then looked inside his bag for Akatsuki’s. Sure enough, she wasn’t wearing it, and he retrieved it to show Naotsugu and Tetora. “They’re about as plain as they come. I bought them for the ceremony and we haven’t worn them since.”

“Why not?”

“Because THIS is exactly what I didn’t want to get into,” he returned pointedly. “But it’s fine, really. I suppose I shouldn’t have hidden it, but I was being overly cautious.” He slipped Akatsuki’s ring back in his bag, but didn’t put his own back in, instead sliding back onto his ring finger. If Naotsugu and Tetora knew, the rest of the party would know by the next day, if they hadn’t overheard their conversation in real time. There was no point in hiding it any longer, really.

No other reason.

* * *

The next morning, they made their way back to Susukino. The distance was long, but held against the time they had spent in the cavern it was a brisk, refreshing walk back to the city. They spent one last night together as a party, eating and drinking and regaling the other citizens of Susukino with tales of their adventures before falling asleep in beds for the first time in weeks. After that, it was finally time for Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Tetora to get started on their journey back to Akiba. 

Before they mounted the griffins, Regan pulled Shiroe aside. “I’ll be staying in Susukino to continue my research on the Transport Gates,” he said. “If you and Akatsuki want to dissolve your marriage now that you no longer need to communicate secretly, you’ll have to locate a book from my library and then bring it back here with her and yourself. It will take all three of us to undo the spell, you see, and I don’t know exactly how to do it off the top of my head.”

Shiroe shuddered at the thought of trying to find _anything_ in Regan’s library. Hopefully Akatsuki would help him with that. Or maybe they could just stay married.

“I’ll call William either way and have him let you know,” he said, and then they were off.

* * *

Finally, they were home. Shiroe had missed Log Horizon and Akihabara more than he realized. Stepping back into the city was like getting air into his lungs after holding his breath for a month. Seeing all of his friends laugh and bicker and welcome him home made him glad Nyanta had given him the push to make a home for himself all those months ago, when the Catastrophe had first hit. _Imagine if I hadn’t made my own guild? Would Akatsuki and Naotsugu still be standing with me? Would we have picked up anyone else? Would we still be wandering, or would we have caved one-by-one and joined the Crescent Moon Alliance or West Wind Brigade?_

_I like things the way they are. I’ll have to thank Nyanta later._

He took in the scene before him with a smile, but something was wrong. Some _one_ was missing.

Minori noticed his distress. “Master Shiroe? Is something wrong?”

Well, he couldn’t just come out and _say_ it. How rude would it be to tell all these people who came out to welcome him that they weren’t good enough? “No, not exactly. It’s just--”

_Behind you_ , his mind whispered. He turned around, and there she was. She was wearing new equipment, and standing a little taller, and gazing at him like she couldn’t quite believe he was there in front of her. “You’re here, exactly like you said you would be,” she said, too quietly for anyone but him to hear. 

“I am,” he said simply, and then added, “I’m back, Akatsuki.”

Her smile was bright enough to blind him. “Welcome home, my Lord.”

* * *

Nyanta had prepared a fantastic meal for their homecoming, and Shiroe thought he had never tasted anything finer. He, Naotsugu, and Tetora must have looked like animals, stuffing their faces with home cooking after so long eating only what would stay good for a month. It hadn’t been the unsalted rice crackers they’d lived off of right after the Catastrophe, but it still couldn’t compare to cooking prepared by a high-level chef.

It was early evening when they finished their feast. Shiroe mustered up the strength to stand up from the table and stretched, feeling very content. “I’m going to head up to my office for a bit, just to get things in order for tomorrow. I’m sure paperwork has been piling up.”

“You just got home, my Lord,” Akatsuki said, the disapproval evident in her tone.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t go back to work just yet!” Minori objected. “Tell us everything, please!”

“Naotsugu and Tetora can tell you just as much as I can,” he replied. “And I promise not to sign a single form tonight, okay? I just want to get things sorted.”

He caught Akatsuki’s eye, and then ascended the stairs.

No sooner had he locked the door behind him than she appeared in the office with him, arms crossed in front of her. “So what’s this about, my Lord? Could you really not wait another minute to get back to your workaholic tendencies?”

_She’s pouting. That’s adorable_. The thoughts entered his brain of their own accord. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he replied. “No, but I’m sure you don’t actually think that’s what this is about, either. Right?”

He took his seat behind his desk, and Akatsuki leaned on the only clear part of the desk’s surface. “No, I didn’t think so. It’s about … us, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Shiroe took a deep breath. “We have a lot to discuss. Basically, we have two options. We can stay married now that the raid is over, or we can decide to undo the spell. Regan told me how, and it’s not simple, but it’s definitely doable. Of course, we could just leave things how they are.”

“I think you should make the decision, my Lord,” she said simply. “This has always been your plan and your domain. I’m not much good at magical theory, anyways. The way I see it, our arrangement has been perfectly serviceable, and I wouldn’t object one way or the other.”

_Right. I guess the burden’s on me to decide, then_. “I … wouldn’t mind keeping things like they are,” he said slowly, watching her face for any sort of reaction. Nothing. “The perks of being married are pretty convenient, and I haven’t experienced any downsides. And these rings were just a tad too expensive to get as little use out of them as we currently are.” 

That last part was said with a lighthearted chuckle, but Akatsuki seemed to take it to heart. She reached into her bag and pulled out the obsidian ring Shiroe had given her all those weeks ago, studying it in the palm of her hand. Then, silently, she slipped it back onto her finger. “You’ve been wearing yours since you got home,” she observed. “Do Naotsugu and the others from the raid already know?”

“Yeah, they kinda found out right after we beat the raid,” he admitted. “Naotsugu and Tetora saw me writing to you, and interrogated me about it until I came clean. I did ask that Silver Sword keep it quiet, though, and I don’t think William would blab about it, anyway.”

Akatsuki seemed to be considering those words, and ultimately it appeared she found them satisfactory. “So, we should tell the rest of our guild, then. And the Crescent Moon Alliance, as well. Maybe even the Round Table?”

“That’s something I’ve been thinking about.” Shiroe leaned back in his chair. “We have to tell Log Horizon, obviously. Naotsugu and Tetora might have already mentioned it, so we should make an official statement on the matter. Marielle almost certainly already knows, and she probably told Henrietta as well. Depending on how much she’s said and to whom, we can work from there, but I think I’d prefer if only she and Henrietta knew for now.”

Akatsuki nodded, and he took that as a cue to continue. “So now two guild masters on the Round Table know. Like you said, do we finish the job and tell the other nine? I can’t be sure that’s a good idea. We still don’t know who the spy is, and that was kind of the whole reason we kept this a secret to begin with. I’m reasonably certain it isn’t Krusty, Isaac, or Soujirou, so we could inform them, but then if comes out that we didn’t tell the rest there’ll be conflict for sure. As it stands, I think I want to tell Soujirou, but ask him not to tell anyone but Nazuna, and refrain from mentioning it to anyone else on the Round Table.” Monologue finished, he took a breath. “Does that sound reasonable?”

Akatsuki nodded again. “Of course, my Lord. I think your concerns are very valid, given the situation.”

“Right.” _Well, that’s a load off my mind. Akatsuki’s a blessing, honestly._ “I’ll call William now and ask him to tell Regan that we’re fine how we are and don’t need to undo the spell.”

He did just that, and didn’t miss the amusement in William’s voice when he assured Shiroe he’d pass the message along.

He and Akatsuki looked at each other, and shrugged. “Guess we’d better go break the news, then?” he asked, and she nodded. 

“I just hope they’re not mad at us for lying to them this whole time.”

“They wouldn’t be,” Shiroe said, attempting to reassure her. “They understand the need for secrecy. I didn’t even tell them where I was going, remember? This information was even more sensitive. They’ll see reason, surely.”

“I hope you’re right, my Lord,” Akatsuki said, and gripped his sleeve, just for a moment, in the same way she had on the moon. 

Shiroe mentally steeled himself, and they opened the office door together and descended the stairs. “Everyone, I need your attention. Meet me in the main room in ten minutes, please. Guild meeting.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning a wedding requires lots of dialogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I wish people would stop asking when the next update is. Didn't I just post the latest chapter a few weeks ago?  
> All Things Considered: last updated _January 6th_  
>  Me: *sweats* uh, they have a point.
> 
> (If I was ever rude or dismissive to you, I'm really sorry! I hope this extra-long chapter makes up for it, it's nearly 5000 words!)

So it was time, then. Shiroe looked around at his guildmates gathered before him. Marielle and Henrietta were present as well, having hurried over when they heard from Shiroe that he was making an announcement. They were all present in the main sitting area, waiting. 

Most of them had no idea what they were about to hear. Some of them were more well-informed than others.

Shiroe could feel himself losing his nerve. He discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs. Then, he cleared his throat. “So. I called this guild meeting, plus a few, because I have important news to tell you all.”

“Did you figure out who the spy is?” Minori asked, and he shook his head, deflating slightly.

“No. I wish I had. That problem is still ongoing, unfortunately. What I have to say is related to that.”

“We’ll stop interrupting, then, so you can tell us,” Henrietta replied. Shiroe caught her eye. She _definitely_ knew.

“Well, you see …” How on Theldesia to put this? The situation certainly didn’t look good. Who got married to someone for espionage purposes? “It’s like this--”

“My Lord and Regan were talking at the Palace,” Akatsuki interrupted. Shiroe felt a rush of shame mixed with relief. _I’ll let her handle this if she wants_. “My Lord wanted a more discreet method of communication than telepathic calls, since those are fairly obvious to onlookers. Regan suggested we perform a spell that links our inventories together, so that we could write down the information that needed to be communicated and store it in our magic bags, and then the other party could access that written note.”

“That isn’t all, though, is it?” Rundelhaus observed. “You wouldn’t call a meeting for that.”

It was Shiroe’s turn to start talking again. “Well, it is and it isn’t. That is what happened, but the matter I wanted to discuss is about the nature of the spell. Adventurer inventory-sharing is only accessible through marriage. So, per Regan’s advice, Akatsuki and I are legally married in this world.”

There was a beat of silence as his friends and guildmates took this information in. Those who knew already were smiling, while those who had just learned were in various stages of freaking out. “This doesn’t really change anything,” Shiroe started to say, before Isuzu cut him off.

“That’s so cute! I didn’t know this game had that!”

Shiroe blinked. He hadn’t expected _that_ to be the first reaction. “I didn’t, either,” he explained. “I think it must have been added with the new expansion. It’s a helpful feature.”

“That is quite a nice perk,” Marielle mused, smiling sweetly. “I imagine many pairs of Adventurers will make use of that, once it becomes more widely-known.”

“That is something I have been thinking about,” Shiroe commented. “I need to ask you all to keep this quiet for a little while. Since we still haven’t found the spy, if we talk about this new development, they could make use of the information. Sharing inventory over great distances would be very advantageous to Minami.”

“That’s true,” Touya said quietly. “I guess we’re still in danger, huh.”

Shiroe nodded again. “Thank you all for listening, and for taking this so well.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Minori asked. Was it just an illusion, or was her voice trembling ever so slightly? “You said it yourself, that this didn’t change anything. You were simply using the tools at your disposal to your advantage. We wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Will you be staying married now that the quest is over?” Tetora asked. Shiroe nodded, and a grin spread across her face. “Oh, I see. For strategy reasons, I bet.”

“ _Yes_ , Tetora. For strategy reasons.”

“Well, then, you two should let us throw you a real wedding!” All eyes in the room turned towards Marielle as she said that. “If you’re married, people are going to find out even if they _don’t_ know about the inventory-sharing thing. Naotsugu and Tetora figured it out, didn’t they? And you have rings on. It’s kinda obvious. Anyway, if you guys have a wedding and stuff, people won’t question any of that!”

“If the spy is caught in time, you could reveal to the Round Table and the city that information after your second wedding, and play it off like you just found out,” Henrietta added. “No one would suspect you’d been married for a while already, and they wouldn’t assume that was how you had communicated covertly when Shiroe was out of the city.”

This was quickly getting out of hand. It was one thing to get married for espionage reasons, and quite another to celebrate it. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said hastily. “I mean, we can just say we wanted to keep our wedding small whenever it comes up. We don’t have to make a big spectacle out of it.”

“But it could work,” Akatsuki said quietly. Shiroe almost couldn’t believe his ears. She continued, “I mean, you kind of have a scary reputation, my Lord. An event like this could help repair that.”

“There are definitely easier ways to do that,” he argued, “And besides, it’s not that big of a deal, anyway.”

“Oh, come on!” Marielle pouted. “Just let us do this for you. You don’t even have to be that involved. You can let the Crescent Moon Alliance handle this. Remember how well the festival turned out?”

“Log Horizon is _definitely_ helping plan our Guild Master’s wedding,” Tetora interjected. “Or, at least, I am.”

“Honestly, we all should,” Isuzu agreed. “I can help with music. Rudy, you know all sorts of things about table arranging and stuff, right?” Rundelhaus nodded, and opened his mouth to brag, but Isuzu kept talking. “Minori’s good at paperwork and stuff, she could help get invitations out. We should all take part in this.”

“We are getting very off-topic,” Shiroe protested weakly, but his voice couldn’t even be heard over the rising clamour of voices. He sighed. _Everyone’s really excited about this idea, apparently. I have a feeling this is happening whether I like it or not_.

The consensus seemed to be that yes, there would be a wedding thrown for Shiroe and Akatsuki, and that Log Horizon and the Crescent Moon Alliance would be jointly organizing it. Shiroe sighed again. “Seeing as no one needs me for this process _of my own wedding_ , I’m going back to my room now. Enjoy planning, I guess.”

“Oh, we will,” Henrietta promised, her signature glint in her eye. Shiroe gulped and fled.

* * *

In the safety of his office, Shiroe could admit to himself that it hadn’t gone as poorly as it could have.

Then again, this was certainly not how he had expected it to go. Why were people happy about this? It wasn’t like he and Akatsuki had been dating and decided to get married because they were in love or anything. This was a matter of national security, not romance. National security did not call for fancy parties. 

At least they weren’t upset, though he hadn’t honestly believed they would think poorly of him. They knew him, after all. _They know I’m called the Villain-in-Glasses, Black-hearted Shiroe, and they follow me anyways. For some reason. I would have preferred if they followed my lead on this, too, but I suppose I can see why they wouldn’t. Marielle loves a party. Tetora loves mischief. Between the two of them, I should have known they would get everyone else riled up_. 

Well, if his friends wanted to do this, then, he supposed he would let them. Akatsuki had seemed fine with it, and that was the most important thing. He was already imposing so much on her with the whole inventory-sharing thing. If she was comfortable, he would leave it be. Mostly.

There was still the matter of Soujirou. Shiroe settled at his desk and started a telepathic call.

Soujirou picked up after a few seconds. “Hey, Shiroe. What can I do for you?”

“I have something to tell you, but I need you to keep it a secret from everyone except Nazuna. Please.”

“Sure thing. Lay it on me.”

Shiroe gave him a quick explanation of the marriage spell and its property of interest. “This is top-secret information. I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course I do. So when was the wedding? And why wasn’t I invited?”

Shiroe balked. “Really? That’s the first question that comes to mind?”

“Easy for you to say. You weren’t excluded.”

“First of all, I wasn’t excluded because it was _my_ wedding. Second of all, there wasn’t even a real wedding! It was just me, Akatsuki, and Regan in his library. We exchanged rings, tapped a dialogue box, and bam. Then I immediately went on a quest.” Shiroe sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve got good news for you, though. My guild and Marielle’s are planning a real wedding for me and Akatsuki, and you can definitely come to that one.”

“I would love to, Shiroe. Thanks so much for being so thoughtful.”

Shiroe could _hear_ the grin in Soujiro’s voice. “Of course. So anyways, that’s what I called for. Now you’re in the know.”

“I assume by the fact that you called me specifically that you’re not telling everyone on the Round Table?”

“That’s correct. I don’t like it, but one of them could be the spy. It’s still too dangerous.”

“I understand. We have to take every precaution.”

There was a knock on Shiroe’s door. “I have to go.”

“Bye!” Soujirou ended the call.

Shiroe cleared his throat. “You can come in.”

“Well, of course I _can_ ,” Naotsugu said good-naturedly as he pushed the door open, “But I figured I’d ask first.”

“You were quiet at the meeting tonight,” Shiroe said pointedly, ignoring the previous remark. “I would have appreciated help reining in Marielle and Tetora’s enthusiam.”

“Why would I do that? This is hilarious.” Naotsugu settled himself in a chair. “Let them do their thing. The spy might even expose themself if they try to sabotage anything.”

“Or all this commotion could obscure their movements,” Shiroe countered. 

“Dude, you’re not gonna win. Even your bride thinks this is a good idea, and women always get their way in the end. Let it happen, and enjoy it.”

Shiroe mulled that over sullenly. “I suppose you’re right,” he huffed, “But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a few breaths before Naotsugu spoke again. “Y’know, Akatsuki reminds me of Kanami.”

That wasn’t a comparison Shiroe had been ready for. _Yeah, right. Akatsuki wants me to tell her what to do, but Kanami spat commands left and right!_ “How so?”

Naotsugu shrugged. “They’ve both got a fire in them. I’m not sure how to describe it, really, other than they’re both spunky. Akatsuki’s quiet, but she’s not any more sane.”

Shiroe thought about the raid on Akiba that had occurred in his absence. Akatsuki had thrown herself into that cause recklessly, simply because she believed in it. Kanami was kind of like that, he supposed. _They’ll both dive head-first into something as long as it’s something they’re passionate about. Guess Naotsugu’s right after all_. He didn’t voice any of those thoughts; he simply hummed in agreement. 

“So anyways, I figured I would let you know what we decided in your absence,” Naotsugu continued. “The wedding ceremony itself is going to be small. Just those of us in the know about this whole thing. It’s safer that way. But the reception afterwards is going to be outside, and open to the whole city. Henrietta said she’d start negotiations with the large production guilds as soon as you make the announcement to the Round Table. We’re gonna need a lot of food, and a lot of chefs, but hopefully they’ll give us a good deal. They can call it a wedding present.”

“What did you decide to do? Since you’re so happy about this turn of events.”

Naotsugu grinned. “Me and Touya will be acting as security. Marielle designated Shouryuu and Hien for that as well. If any suspicious people show up and try to make trouble, we’ll stop ‘em cold.”

Shiroe quirked an eyebrow. “Just the four of you? At a city-wide event? You remember the Libra festival madness, right?”

Naotsugu shrugged. “Shouryuu and Hien are team leaders, so the rest of their team will probably be with us, too. And if we asked, I’m sure Soujirou would be happy to help. We’ve got plenty of time to finalize the details.”

“Speaking of time, when did you decide this madness is taking place?”

“How would you feel about May 3rd?”

Shiroe blinked. “The one-year anniversary of the Catastrophe? Really? I’m not sure that’s the best day for a party.”

“If you think about it, though,” Naotsugu countered, “It _totally_ is. Players who are sad about being trapped here will have something to be happy about instead, and players who like being here have an excuse to celebrate. Everyone wins.”

“Significance aside, that’s less than five months away,” Shiroe pointed out. “Don’t weddings usually take a long time to plan? Are you all sure you can pull this off?”

“For our Guild Master and his personal ninja?” Naotsugu stood up, leaned over Shiroe’s desk, and clapped him hard on the shoulder. “Marielle and Tetora could accomplish _anything_ in that time. And with the rest of us on board, and even more people we haven’t even talked to yet? Buddy, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” With that, he walked towards the door.

“Oh, I think I’ve got plenty to worry about,” Shiroe muttered.

Naotsugu turned back and gave him a disapproving glare, though Shiroe could tell he didn’t really mean it. “Listen here, Mr. Villain. Akatsuki thinks this is gonna help your reputation. At the very least, do it for her, alright? Wouldn’t want to let her down.”

… darn it. Shiroe averted his eyes and huffed. “Okay. Fine. Maybe this could be helpful, or at the very least somewhat fun.”

He didn’t have to look at Naotsugu to feel the smug smirk aimed directly at him.

* * *

With three of the members of the Round Table Alliance already in the know, postponing the grand announcement would be more trouble than Shiroe thought it was worth. _Let’s rip off this bandaid, so we can get to the hundreds of slightly smaller bandaids another day_.

Shiroe waited until all eleven members were seated, and then he stood. Immediately, all eyes were on him. “Before this meeting officially begins, I have an important announcement I’d like to make.”

“If it’s important, shouldn’t you start the meeting first?” Eins questioned. “What is the benefit of this?”

“Well, it’s not Round Table business, per se. It’s personal. I just wanted to share this with you all.” He looked around at their faces. “Is that alright?”

There were nods and various noises of agreement. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to hide his hands in his pockets, instead placing them on the table. Was it just his imagination, or was the light in the room just a little brighter than usual, causing the polished silver of his ring to shine so brightly it might blind him? “I am getting married. In May.”

It was quiet for just long enough that Shiroe started to wonder if he had made a miscalculation. Then, Marielle and Soujirou started applauding, and the rest of the members joined in a second later. 

“Who knew you had it in ya?” Isaac asked jovially, a smile on his face. “The Villain in Glasses, gettin’ hitched.”

“I must admit that I’m surprised as well,” added Krusty, who didn’t look surprised at all, only amused. 

“Let’s be nice, everyone,” Marielle chastised, which did not make Shiroe feel better. “This is a big deal, and a good thing. We’re happy for you, Shiroe.”

He nodded. “Thank you. With that out of the way, I think we can officially begin this meeting?”

“Wait, hold on. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear more about you getting married,” Kerashin interjected. “Doesn’t it usually take two people? Who’s the lucky girl?”

Shiroe was beginning to wish he’d not brought it up at all and had just sent them a save-the-date notice instead. “Her name is Akatsuki. She’s a level ninety Assassin in my guild.”

Michitaka made a noise of recognition. “She went with us to the conference in Eastal, right? I remember her. She’s a tiny little thing. Well-suited for Assassin work.”

Shiroe could feel a headache coming on. “Yes, she’s quite skilled,” he said tersely. “Now, if we could begin the meeting, there are important trade details--”

“Why are you so tight-lipped, Black-hearted Shiroe?” Krusty asked, his tone a mixture of curiosity and condescension. “Aren’t you happy? In my experience, people usually can’t stop talking about their future partner. You seem rather unwilling to discuss the matter. You can’t tell me that your eagerness to change the subject is really due to your enthusiasm for the proposed trade tariff, is it?”

Yep, the headache was definitely present. Shiroe sighed and adjusted his glasses. “I simply didn't mean to waste so much valuable Alliance time on my personal life, that’s all. If you all would really rather focus on this, though, I suppose I could answer a few more questions?”

And with that, Shiroe threw himself to the sharks.

* * *

After a brutal Alliance meeting, the Villain finally trudged home and entered the front room of the Log Horizon guild hall. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, letting out a sigh he knew was just a tad dramatic. But hey, he was exhausted. _Some peace and quiet would be perfect right about now. I’ll just head straight up to my office_.

He had barely taken two steps before that plan was shattered. “Akatsuki~” Henrietta sang from somewhere else in the building, her voice echoing through the hallways, “You can’t hide forever! And you can’t get married without a dress, either, so you’d better hurry up and get this over with.”

Out of nowhere, Akatsuki appeared and ducked behind him. “Hide me, my Lord,” she whispered. 

“Instead of hiding behind me, wouldn’t it be better to escape outside?” he suggested, and her eyes widened briefly before she nodded once and disappeared.

Just then, Henrietta came around the corner. “Oh, Shiroe. I didn’t know you were home.”

“Just got here, actually. What are you doing here? Something wedding-related?”

She sighed and cradled her head in her hand. “I’m trying, at any rate. Akatsuki was supposed to be trying on wedding dresses, but we weren’t getting anywhere. She tried on three that I all thought were super adorable, but she didn’t like any of them! And then, when my back was turned, she ran!” She met his eyes and pushed her glasses up. “I don’t suppose you know where she went?” 

Truthfully, he answered, “Not a clue. She’s an Assassin; she could be anywhere.”

Henrietta sighed again. “You’re right, as usual. Say, would you be interested in looking at the dresses I brought over? They’re here and not getting any use at the moment.”

“As long as you don’t make me wear them,” he said warily, and she laughed

“I would never. You wouldn’t look half as cute.” With that, she led him down the hall to Akatsuki’s room, where every surface was covered in white and pastels and frills. _So_ many frills. It looked vaguely like a wedding cake had exploded.

“Henrietta,” he started, and then stopped. _How do I politely tell her that Akatsuki won’t willingly step within ten feet of her if she keeps pushing these dresses? They look like they’re bigger than she is!_

It seemed like Henrietta understood what he wanted to say. “They’re too much, aren’t they?” She moved a few dresses from a chair and sank down, defeated. “I just want her to look amazing on her big day. I’d never forgive myself if we let her look drab at her own wedding. But …”

“She’ll look beautiful no matter what,” he said automatically. Then his mind caught up with his mouth. “I mean, uh …” he gulped. “Have you tried asking her what she wants to wear?”

Henrietta looked away, ashamed. “I haven’t. That was probably foolish, wasn’t it? It certainly would be more productive if I took her preferences into account. I could probably get her to stop running away, at any rate.” She looked back at him, and a mischievous glint reappeared in her eye. “Then again, it’s so _fun_ …”

Shiroe held up his hands placatingly. “Do what you will. I’m just offering my perspective.”

“And I appreciate it.” Henrietta stood. “Well, I suppose I should return at least some of these dresses, since they’re just taking up all this space.” She scooped a bundle of white fabric into her arms and started to walk. “Would you get the door for me?”

Shiroe obliged, and sent her on her way out the front. Then, and only then, did he collapse into his desk chair and rest his head on his desk. It had been a long day, but he suspected that, until the wedding was over, they were just going to get longer.

_Where did she get all those dresses, anyways?_

* * *

The next morning, Shiroe was still in the guild hall when Henrietta reappeared, a plethora of new dresses in tow. “Good morning, Shiroe!” she greeted cheerfully when he emerged from his room. “I’ve taken your advice into consideration, and I think today will be much more productive. Isuzu agreed to play mediator between Akatsuki and myself, since we’re on rather opposite ends of the spectrum with regards to fashion preferences.”

“Well, that’s promising,” he returned. “I wish you three the best of luck.”

“We’ll need it.” With that, she adjusted her glasses and hurried on to Akatsuki’s room. “Darling, I’ve brought more dresses! I promise I won’t make you try on any that drown you in fabric, okay?”

Yeah, they were definitely going to need all the luck they could get.

Shiroe made himself some breakfast before returning to his own room to get dressed in his clothes for town. He needed to make sure that all the production guilds had gotten the memo about the new trade deal with Eastal.

Right before he stepped outside, Isuzu ran up to him. “Master Shiroe, wait!” Then she doubled over and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. _She must have done an all-out sprint just now. This is important._

“Hey, Isuzu. How are things going?”

She took a deep breath to get her breathing under control. “Well, that’s the thing. They were going great, and Akatsuki found a dress that she actually _liked_ and she actually looked like she was enjoying herself, and then she tried it on and Henrietta gave her some accessories and she saw herself in the mirror and she just kinda shut down! She started talking about how this isn’t safe and she shouldn’t have agreed in the first place and how she can’t believe she’s put us all in danger and I don’t really _get_ it but I think you should talk to her.”

Shiroe took a moment to process that. _Akatsuki’s got a good nose for danger, so if she’s that upset about this it’s not something we should just dismiss. Even if she is wrong, it’s worth taking seriously._ “Lead the way.”

Isuzu grabbed his sleeve and practically dragged him back to Akatsuki’s room. The door was closed, but he could hear Akatsuki muttering inside. Isuzu knocked. “Henrietta? Akatsuki? I brought Master Shiroe.”

“He can’t come inside!” Henrietta squawked. “It’s terrible luck!”

Shiroe pressed a hand to the door. “Just let me talk to her, then, without coming inside. I’ll talk through the door.”

“... alright,” Henrietta conceded. “That is a good idea. Akatsuki, is that okay?”

“... okay.”

“Alone, please,” Shiroe added. Henrietta allowed that as well, opening the door and slamming it quickly behind her so Shiroe couldn’t see. Then, she and Isuzu went downstairs.

Shiroe leaned his forehead against the door. “Akatsuki? Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you,” she said. Her voice was faint, like she had run out of steam.

“Can you explain to me why this is dangerous? I want to know.”

“Well, there’s a spy in the city, isn’t there?” she started. “Or maybe more than one. We don’t know who they are, or what they’re seeing, or who they’re watching, or how much they know, or anything about them! And instead of focusing on that problem, we’re wasting our attention on a fancy wedding we don’t need because we’re _already married_ and also we didn’t get married for reasons that merit a wedding anyways. There’s nothing to celebrate here, and yet we’re focusing so much on this celebration that we’ve completely forgotten why we did all this in the first place! And a huge public gathering? I know I was for it originally, but doesn’t that seem like the perfect time for everything to go wrong? Even if we do have a wedding, I need to be able to fight and defend you! I can’t wear a dress!” 

She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I can’t believe I just now realized how _foolish_ and _stupid_ we’re being. Somebody will get hurt because of this.”

Shiroe’s heart ached as Akatsuki spilled all of her fears that had come bubbling up. _She’s clearly been anxious about this for a while but been ignoring it,_ he thought. _This wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere. Have I been blind? Have we all been ignoring something obvious?_

That train of thought wouldn’t be helpful at the moment. It was time to do, not to think. “You’re right, that the spy could use this as a time to act,” he agreed. “But there will be security in place. Naotsugu, Touya, the guys from the Crescent Moon, maybe even the West Wind Brigade, they’ll all be there to help. And if you did need to spring into action, I doubt you’d let something as silly as a dress stop you. You’re amazing, Akatsuki.” 

He stopped. Were any of these words correct? Was he making the situation worse or better? He kept talking. “Remember why we wanted to do this in the first place? If you really want to call this whole thing off, I’ll support your decision one hundred percent. I’ll break the news myself. But just, take a moment. Think about it. What do you _really_ want?”

There was silence from the other side of the door. It stretched for so long that Shiroe thought maybe he had offended her, and she had escaped during his impromptu monologue. But then, just as he was giving up hope, she replied. “We don’t have to cancel,” she said weakly. “But I am afraid something might happen.”

Shiroe had a sudden thought. “Are there any dresses in that room you can fight in? Any shorter or less restrictive ones? If the spy does make a move, they’d never expect you to be able to fight. If you wear something you can move in and hide weapons under, and choose flat shoes and no hood or veil or anything, you can still be ready.” He paused, and then added, “I don’t really know anything about what’s going on in there. Sorry if I’m talking nonsense.”

There were several more seconds of silence before she replied again. “I think I could make it work. Thank you.”

Relief flooded through his whole body. “Any time. And Akatsuki? Things are going to be fine. How could they not, when I’ve got you as a personal ninja?”

He hurried away before he could second-guess anything he’d said and make everything worse. On his way out the door, he passed Isuzu and Henrietta. “I think you can go back in now,” he informed them. “Just make sure you take what she’s saying into account. She’s got a point.”

“Will do,” Henrietta promised, and Isuzu nodded. 

Shiroe smiled. “Thanks, guys.” And with that, he left. There was a lot to do today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me and request fluff bingo squares on [Tumblr!](http://www.therewillbebeauty.tumblr.com)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More wedding planning! It's a lot of work, even for someone like Shiroe :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 22 would have marked 3 months from the last update. Glad it didn't get to that point!

Shiroe hadn’t realized just how  _ busy  _ planning a wedding was going to make him. His friends already yelled at him for working too hard and doing too much when he was only Guild Master and a member of the Round Table. Wedding planning was like doubling all that. 

It looked like Akatsuki was having even more of a hard time. Every time Shiroe saw her, she looked tired. There weren’t bags under her eyes, and she wasn’t falling over or stumbling, but the way she carried herself made her look even smaller. Curled in on herself. Like she was just fighting to get it all done, and then she could rest. 

Shiroe had made a mental promise to start picking up more slack or delegating when possible. 

But on today’s agenda was something Akatsuki herself should really be present for: cake tasting. Kerashin had assembled twelve cakes for them both to try, and they were waiting in the kitchen that very moment. Shiroe had torn himself away from the chore of hand-writing wedding invitations the moment the smells had wafted into his office, and was currently staring in wonder at the dozen options before him. The different aromas mixed together and made the warm kitchen air rather heady. “If Akatsuki doesn’t get here soon, I’m starting without her.”

Kerashin laughed, and at that moment Akatsuki stepped into the kitchen. “I’m here, my Lord. Let’s get started.” 

Kerashin nodded. “Let’s. Do either of you have a flavor you’d like to start with?”

Shiroe looked at Akatsuki, who said nothing.  _ Well, I guess I’ll start us off. Break the ice a little bit.  _ “Why don’t we start with vanilla?”

Cake tasting went a  _ lot  _ better than that three-way date at the Libra festival. Akatsuki seemed closed-off at first, like she wasn’t really invested, but after taking the first bite of red velvet cake Shiroe saw the sparkles in her eyes.  _ She likes that one, hmm? It’s too early to decide, but I don’t dislike red velvet either. That could be what we go with _ .

Shiroe pulled himself out of his own head as Kerashin brought out the next cake. “This is a lemon cake,” he explained. “It’s got a refreshing taste that’s not too sweet, so it’s popular for spring and summer.” 

Kerashin was  _ right _ . Shiroe took one bite of the lemon cake and was instantly reminded of drinking lemonade on the hot days right after they discovered how to make food taste good, taking a well-earned break from hard work. It wasn’t too tangy, but not too cloyingly sweet either. Lemon instantly became Shiroe’s frontrunner, and none of the subsequent cakes did anything to dislodge it. 

When all twelve samples had been tasted, Kerashin looked at the engaged couple expectantly. “So? Which ones did you like?”

“The lemon was really good,” Shiroe answered honestly, “But Akatsuki, you liked the red velvet, right?” 

“We don’t have to pick that one,” she mumbled, embarrassed. “I liked it, but we can do lemon.”

“How about a two-layered cake? Base layer red velvet, top layer lemon? That way, you both get what you want. Or cupcakes, if that doesn’t work”

“A two-layer cake …” Shiroe mused. “I think that’s a great idea. You’re very knowledgeable, Kerashin.”

Kerashin chuckled. “Well, I’m in the business. But if you're sure you want a two-layer, let’s finalize the concept so I can pass it along to my bakery contact.”

It didn’t take long, and soon Kerashin was on his way with notes about what Shiroe’s wedding cake would look and taste like. “It still doesn’t feel real,” he confessed, “That we’re having this big wedding, I mean. I never thought that I’d be getting married in Elder Tales, to start. It wasn’t something I ever thought about before this all happened.” He smiled. “But I think I’m finally getting into it.”

“My Lord?”

“I’m really starting to enjoy all this,” he clarified. “The planning process, the million-and-one things on my to-do list, they were just bothersome at first. I was content to let our guildmates and the Crescent Moon handle it all. But for some reason, I don’t feel that way anymore.” He stifled a burp. “Maybe it’s just the cake.”

“I’m glad,” Akatsuki said, so quietly that Shiroe probably wasn’t meant to hear it at all, but he did all the same. 

“Me, too.”

* * *

They cleaned up the kitchen quickly, Kerashin having taken most of the mess with him. Shiroe finished wiping the counter with a decisive stroke, then wiped his forehead off with the back of his hand. “Well, I think that’s that. What are you doing next?”

“I was thinking I would go for a walk,” Akatsuki replied quietly, like she wasn’t sure it was the correct answer. “It’s a lovely day.”

Shiroe glanced out the window. It had been overcast that morning, but sometime during Kerashin’s visit the clouds had all but vanished, and the sun was shining down unabated. On a hot summer day that would have been oppressive, but in the late morning in spring it was probably quite refreshing. “That sounds like a great idea. Mind if I join you?”

Akatsuki very rarely turned down requests from ‘her Lord.’ Which is why Shiroe was surprised when she hesitated, before ultimately replying, “If it’s alright with you, I want to be alone. I need to clear my head.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll stay here and get back to those wedding invitations. I was working on them for an hour this morning, but the list never gets any shorter. I think we should like fewer people.”

He discreetly breathed a sigh of relief when that last sentence brought a small smile to her face. “You should open the window while you work, my Lord. The fresh air would be good for your office.”

“Not for my stacks of paperwork, though. But you’re right. It seems you usually are, about these types of things.”

Akatsuki flushed and quickly turned her head away. Shiroe winced.  _ I may have overstepped my bounds again. Everything I do seems to make her uncomfortable these days … I wonder if she’s having second thoughts _ . He cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll let you get on with your walk. Have a good time.”

In the safety of his room, he called Henrietta. “Hey, I’m just checking in to make sure that the dress … situation is all good on your end.”

_ “Oh, yes, it’s all fine over here!” _ Henrietta chirped. In the background, Shiroe could hear Shouryuu and Hien arguing.  _ “Our darling Akatsuki is going to look so beautiful on her wedding day! It fits her like a glove, honestly. The sleeves I think are  _ _ really _ _ special, and the--” _

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Shiroe interrupted. “Weren’t you the one who told me I couldn’t go in to see her last time because it was bad luck? How is that different from describing it in detail over telechat?”

_ “Ah, sorry! I just get so caught up in talking about this kind of thing. Good save, Shiroe. Although I’m surprised you didn’t let me keep going and get a glimpse of what your beautiful bride will look like!” _

Shiroe laughed. “As if you wouldn’t verbally eviscerate me when you realized what I’d done.”

_ “Good point. Anyways, if that’s the only reason you called, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Now get back to whatever work you’re avoiding, Mister! I know you haven’t finished all those wedding invitations yet.” _

“You’re right, but how’d you know?” Shiroe leaned back in his chair, and eyed the stack of envelopes and blank stationary on his desk. 

_ “Because I haven’t gotten one, of course!” _

Shiroe smiled, before remembering that he had wanted to open the window. He stood up from his desk and walked over to it. “Do you even need an invitation? You’re planning the event. You know more about it than  _ I  _ do.”

He pushed the window open just as Henrietta replied,  _ “That’s not important. It’s the principle of the thing, Shiroe. And besides, I need to preserve this for generations to come.” _

“What kind of generations to come do you think there’ll be? When we go back home--” 

His voice caught in his throat.  _ Home? I haven’t thought about that in … weeks, maybe? Months? I’ve been so caught up in all of this that I haven’t had time to get homesick. Not that there’s much for me to miss, anyways.  _

_ “Shiroe?”  _ Henrietta’s voice was laced with worry.  _ “Are you still there?” _

“Yeah, sorry. I just remembered something.” Shiroe turned away from the window and sat back down at his desk. He had stalled for long enough. “I’ll be sure to send you an invitation. Thanks again for all your help.”

_ “Anything for a friend,”  _ Henrietta replied warmly, and then the telechat ended. 

Shiroe looked at the stacks on his desk again and sighed. “Better get to work, then.”

He dipped his quill in ink (not anything  _ too _ rare like ink from the Time Dragon’s Eye, but high quality) and began to scratch out the same message he had written dozens of times already.  _ Together with the members of Log Horizon and the Crescent Moon Alliance, Adventurers Akatsuki and Shiroe request your presence at their wedding reception on the third of May …  _

Shiroe had made it through around a dozen more invitations when there was a knock at his door. “Come in,” he said, still writing.

The door creaked open slowly, and Akatsuki slipped inside. “I’m back.”

Shiroe set his quil down, careful not to leave an ink blot on the invitation still in progress. “Welcome back. How was your walk?”

“Refreshing,” she said simply, and turned her attention to the open window.

Shiroe followed her gaze. The curtains were swaying slightly in the breeze, and he could hear distant chatter from the streets. “I’m glad. I made some progress on those invitations, but admittedly not much. And I still have to write up the general notices for the town …” The thought of all left undone made him want to curl into a ball and hide. 

“Can I help?”

Shiroe studied her face and body language. Truly, it looked like the walk had done her good. She was standing a bit straighter, and not crossing her arms in front of her chest like she did so much these days. Her skin, normally so translucent Shiroe worried he could see a light spirit through her, had a healthy flush. Still, he was wary. “Are you sure?”

She frowned. “Of course I’m sure! I wouldn’t offer to help you and then turn around and say no! What do you take me for, my Lord?”

Shiroe smiled and passed her a quill and a stack of paper. “Just checking. Could you write the general notices, then? I’ve got one for reference around here somewhere …”

For a while, they worked in near-silence. The only sounds emanating from the room were that of quills scratching and their even breaths. 

Then Naotsugu threw the door wide open. “Hey there, lovebirds. It’s almost dinner time, and Nyanta’s taking requests! What’ll it be?”

“Curry,” Shiroe said before Naotsugu was even done. 

Naotsugu laughed. “I already told him that’s what you’d say. Akatsuki?”

She shrugged, not looking up from her work. “Curry’s fine with me. Is it really that late already?”

Naotsugu’s smirk was practically an invitation to get kicked, if Akatsuki would look up and see it. “Well, you know what they say. Time flies when you’re having fun …”

Shiroe was within arm’s reach of Naotsugu, so he reached out and smacked the Guardian on the arm. It didn’t do anything aside from making Shiroe’s fingers hurt, but the message was clear. “Just let us know when it’s time to come down to eat. We’re … actually getting close to finishing these.”

“Should I close the door on my way out? Give you two some privacy?”

Shiroe sent him a flat look. “That would be nice, thank you. We’re concentrating.”

Naotsugu winked and closed the door. Behind it, Shiroe was pretty sure he could hear Naotsugu mutter something lewd, but it didn’t matter. 

When the curry was ready, their hands were sore and sleeves stained with ink, but the invitations and notices were finally done.

It wasn’t until after dinner that Shiroe realized how out of character Akatsuki’s earlier reaction had been. She  _ loved  _ Nyanta’s curry. She’d seemed in high spirits after her walk, but clearly helping him out with the invitations had been just another thing he shouldn’t have asked of her.  _ I know she’s stressed out and tired from all of this. I should have refused. Instead … I dulled her passion for curry. Calling myself a monster seems rather harsh, but really, what kind of guy would do  _ _ that _ _? _

* * *

Naotsugu had been right; Soujirou had volunteered eagerly to have his guild join the security team. Not that they were expecting anything to go wrong, of course, but there was always the chance that the spy would reveal themselves, or that a few Adventurers would have a bit too much cherry saké and get into a drunken brawl. Shiroe smiled as he crossed one more thing off of his eternally long wedding checklist. For the first time, it was actually getting  _ shorter _ as things got taken care of, instead of longer as someone thought of more things to do. That was  _ incredibly  _ satisfying. 

Crossing squares off of the calendar outside his office as a count down to the date was similarly gratifying. It was a reminder that this madness would soon be over, and Shiroe could get back to only his regular amount of overworking. And maybe Akatsuki would get some of her energy back. They still hadn’t caught the spy--and it was already mid-March--so not everything would be over, but even that fact couldn’t get Shiroe down these days. The Shiroe from January wouldn’t have believed it, but March’s Shiroe really didn’t hate the whole wedding idea anymore. In fact, he almost liked it. 

Almost. 

Okay, maybe he liked it a bit more than he should,  _ especially  _ since it was so much work for the people around him. But the idea that they would do all this work for his sake in the first place, that they wanted this for him even when he didn’t want it for himself, that they thought he  _ deserved  _ a big celebration for his (business) marriage, was hard to ignore. It made him feel warm whenever he thought about it.  _ I really am surrounded by wonderful people in this world. I hope that everything--the friendships we have, the memories we’ve made, the amazing things we’ve accomplished--doesn’t fall apart when we go home _ .

There was a small, annoying voice in the back of his head that said his liking of this turn of events had more than a little to do with the fact that it was  _ Akatsuki  _ he was marrying. He ignored that voice as much as possible. Because it was wrong … right? 

“I’m getting off-topic,” Shiroe said out loud. 

“Talking to yourself?” said a voice behind him.

Shiroe did  _ not  _ jump, but he did turn around. “Ah, Isuzu. Great timing, actually. You wanted to handle music for the wedding, right? How’s that coming along?”

“You know, you can say  _ my wedding _ , Master Shiroe” she replied, instead of answering his question. “You keep saying  _ the  _ wedding like it’s not you who’s getting married. Or did you forget?” That last part was accompanied by a giggle, like the one she gave Rudy when he did something grandiose or showed off. 

Shiroe gave her a small smile in return. “I didn’t forget, of course. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, you have nothing to worry about with the music. Except, you never told me what song you want for your first dance.”

“I wasn’t aware it mattered.”

Isuzu’s look was withering. “Of course it matters! It’ll be your first dance with your  _ wife _ !”

“Technically, she’s already my wife,” Shiroe returned, pointing out the obvious, but technicalities clearly didn’t matter in this regard. “But if it’s really a big deal …” 

_ What would be a good choice?  _ A hundred possibilities a second ran through Shiroe’s head, all of them being discarded instantly. It had to be just right, the perfect way to encapsulate everything they were doing and what they were doing it for. 

In the end, there was only one right answer. “Are you familiar with Elder Tale’s soundtrack? From when this was still just a game? Isuzu nodded. “There’s this one waltz …” he trailed off, trying to think of how to explain which song he meant. It had been played at the conference in Eastal, but Isuzu hadn’t been there. 

Isuzu pulled out her lute and strummed a few notes. “That one?”

“That’s amazing, that you knew what I was talking about. Yes, that’s the one.”

Isuzu slipped the lute back into her bag. “I can definitely play that song for your first dance, Master Shiroe. Just leave it to me!” 

“And how is Rundelhaus doing?” 

“He keeps switching between around eighty different ideas,” she replied, a fond smile on her face. “With the amount of focus and energy he’s putting into the table settings, everything will look fantastic.  _ If  _ he can decide on anything in time, that is.”

“Well, I’ll leave that to him, then, and the music to you. Thank you, Isuzu. Would you pass my thanks along as well?” 

Isuzu gave him a thumbs-up and went on her way to do just that. Shiroe looked back at the calendar. “Only six weeks left, huh? Wow, time really flies.”

“Oh, so when  _ I  _ use that expression, I get a smack on the arm, but when  _ you  _ use that expression it’s fine?”

Once again, Shiroe found himself turning around. This time, it was Naotsugu who had snuck up behind him. “Yes, because you were using it to imply something vulgar.”

Naotsugu held his hands up in faux-innocence. “How do you know that, oh great Master Shiroe? Maybe I just thought you guys really liked writing wedding invitations.”

“Did you?”

“Nah, I was implying something vulgar.” Naotsugu’s hands dropped. “But it’s still a double standard.”

Shiroe sighed. “Anyways, now that Soujirou’s on board, do you have the security patrols worked out?”

“You betcha! This wedding is gonna have the tightest security Akiba has ever seen.”

“Given that the only other comparable event is the Libra Festival, that’s not saying much. Still, I guess that’s something,” Shiroe conceded. “Thank you.”

Naotsugu jovially punched Shiroe in the arm. “Anything for a bro.  _ Especially  _ a bro getting married. I’m not at all sucking up because I still haven’t been asked to be your best man.”

Shiroe blinked. “I thought that would go without saying.”

Naotsugu punched him in the other arm. “Hell yeah! Alright, with that out of the way, I will be slacking from now on. No take-backs!” 

Shiroe rolled his eyes, but didn’t take it back.

Naotsugu walked away to ‘slack off’, and Shiroe once again found himself turning back to the calendar.  _ Six weeks …  _

It was so long, and yet so short. Most of the preparations were done, with only things that absolutely  _ had  _ to be done last-minute remaining. But it still didn’t feel real. Shiroe absently flipped the calendar to April, then to May. His fingers came to rest on the square representing May 3rd.  _ The one-year anniversary of the Catastrophe, and also the day of the wedding.  _ _ My _ _ wedding. I don’t think anyone was thinking about the possible word association there, but it’s fine. Maybe it really  _ _ will _ _ be a disaster. Or maybe everything will work out wonderfully.  _

It was silly, and an unnecessary gesture. Everyone in Akiba probably knew Shiroe’s wedding date by now. But Shiroe still found himself procuring a quill, dipping it in ink, and drawing a little star on that square. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gosh these characters are chatterboxes
> 
> Anyways, find me and request bingo squares on Tumblr (I’m @therewillbebeauty)! I'm playing both Fluff Bingo and Bad Things Happen Bingo, so I can either torture or pamper your fave--or both!


End file.
